Ok, I've been reading the book referenced in the last post, "Satisfy My Thirsty Soul" by Linda Dillow and it is WONDERFUL! It is really targeted at women (based on a lot of the examples she gives) but there are quotes and stories from some of her male friends and basically everything in there applys to any child of God.
If you've been looking for a personal bible study or even just a book to read a few pages at a time before you go to sleep, I would definitely recommend it. If you are a women who just feels spiritually tapped and low on joy, this book is for you. If you can't even find five minutes in the course of a day to say a prayer to God, this book will give you some ideas. Check it out!
One of the things the author focuses on in the early chapters of the book is finding quiet time to worship the Lord and get face-to-face with Him. I have always tried to maintain a daily (ok, more like a few days a week probably if you average it out) personal quiet time in the Word and in prayer but I'll be honest, it is HARD TO DO. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this or not, but inevitably someone walks in, the phone rings, the baby is crying, the toddler is whining, the dryer is dinging, you name it and it tries to distract.
When I don't get my quiet time and I'm not able to spend time with the Father, I begin to dry up mentally and spiritually. I just feel like I'm empty and have nothing left to give. Sometimes I don't even want to speak to anyone I feel so devoid of any goodness from God at that point. I think the author of this book gets it. Even the title, "Satisfy My Thirsty Soul" hits is right on the head.
So how can we get filled up again? We've got to spend time alone with God. Praising Him for His goodness, listening for His voice and lingering in His Word. Finding this time is going to become a priority in my life - I can't live well without it. This may mean the baby has to stay at daycare 30 minutes longer, this may mean I have to take a half-day off from work once a month just to renew my spirit, this may mean I have to ask one of my friends from church to watch the baby.
Whatever it takes, this has to become priority. In my past I would have used these methods to find time to get my lawn mowed, go to the grocery or clean out my garage - but now those things are going to move to a lower priority. If I'm going to be a good wife, mother, worship leader, friend, Christian, believer - I have to get my priorities right. I have to move from the Martha mentality of service to God being #1 and become like Mary, putting the relationship with God #1. I'm declaring this to my blog reading friends and would encourage you to examine your relationship - is God your "one thing".
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